Having detailed conversations about finances can be difficult. But remember that your goal is to get to graduation, and finding the funding you need is essential. Whether you’re feeling ahead or feeling behind — no matter where you are in finding funding — now is the time to learn more. There are many resources and people you can turn to with your questions. If you’re in high school, talk to your counselor. If you’re close to starting college or already there, get to know your school’s financial aid resources. 

Today’s professional workplace may seem vastly different from those your elders were a part of. Everyone is looking to work faster, with fewer resources. Regardless of how well-equipped you are, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed, stressed, and sorely lacking work-life balance. While you may not be able to change everything about your work life, look to your Native traditions to help you manage stress and create more balance. Here are a few ways to do just that.

The college process is daunting. Between standardized tests, submitting applications, and waiting to be accepted, it’s not easy. Once accepted, there’s the question of how you will pay for college. Many Native students do not have enough funds readily available to cover their schooling. That’s where scholarships come in. Today, there are some amazing scholarship opportunities to help Native students on their college journey. Here are a few of the top scholarships to consider.

A large part of being successful professionally comes from being able to advocate for yourself. But whether you’ve been working for one year or 10, advocating for yourself or for your direct reports can challenging. Many assume that advocating will lead to conflict or uncomfortable conversations. While those things can happen, they don’t have to. Here are a few ways to advocate for yourself or a direct report.

College is a time for you to explore, try new things, and learn more about yourself. Over the course of four years, you may find that your interests change, your goals look different, and your future isn’t necessarily what you thought it would be. Four years pass quickly, so use this time wisely to set yourself up for the future. Here are a few ways to do just that.

A negative workplace can become quite challenging. Whether you don’t like your boss, are having trouble with your colleagues, or feel unsupported by the organization as a whole, a negative workplace can make going to work a chore. The good news is that there are ways to prevail in a negative workplace. Here are a few to help you get started.

When Leona Anderson was a young girl in Los Angeles, she knew she was part Native American, as her father always told her this. Her father was born and raised in Broken Arrow, Okla., and he would visit his hometown for a month each summer and visit the Cherokee Nation in Bixby, Okla., to spend time with his sister. Her father’s visit was about reconnecting with his sister, but it was also about providing her with much needed assistance. “My dad would help her with projects around her house and garden,” says Anderson, this year’s winner of the Blazing Flame Award.

Long before Dr. Josiah Hester became a tenure track professor in Northwestern University’s Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, his parents taught him to understand the connection between computing and a secure life. “My parents saw that computing generally is your ticket,” says Dr. Hester, Native Hawaiian (Kānaka maoli), who remembers how his mom and dad started him learning the Java programing language.

These days, any discussion of electricity inevitably turns to energy generated by the sun. In fact, according to a recent report by the Solar Energy Industries Association, nearly 60 percent of all new electric generation added in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2021 was solar — and forecasts are that the mainstreaming of solar energy will only accelerate.

Aaron Yazzie shares many of the questions a lot of us have about the planet Mars. “Mars was once similar to Earth,” he says. “It once had water and was warmer as an early planet. It developed over billions of years in similar ways to Earth, but the question is, why did Earth develop life and Mars didn’t? Or maybe it did?”